How To: Aftermarket fog light install w/ custom wiring

kornholio788 · Post by **kornholio788** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:32 am

AFTER MARKET FOG LIGHT INSTALL WRITE UP..

Items needed.
1. Fog lights of your choice
2. Some 12 or 14 gauge wire(I used 12 so it is nice and big for the power the fogs will need)
3. Some 16 or 18 gauge wire
4. A simple toggle switch (can be bought at a radio shack, auto zone, oznium.com)
5. A automotive 12 volt 40 amp relay(at radio shack or oznium.com)
6. A inline fuse holder with fuse

OK HERE WE GO

This is actually ver simple to do and with this way you will NEVER have to worry about your fogs blowing your Multi Function switch which seems to be soo popular with our cars. It may seem intimating and yes it requires all new wiring but just lay everything out at take it one step at a time. This should help you through it and if you guys have any questions please feel free to ask and i will help you. I do this as a side job and I have gotten very good at it.

DISCONNECT YOUR BATTER FIRST INCASE YOU ACCIDENTLY GROUND SOMETHING OUT. THIS IS A SAFTELY PROCAUTION.

1. Take your fog lights and install them in your bumber cover, bumver, roof, where ever you want. Obviously what ever will work best with your car/front end.

2. Take your switch. Find a spot that you would like to mount it in your car. There are alot of spots. I have switches in my center consol, dash, ect. Just find a spot you would like to mount it and do it. If you are not sure what size hole to drill and it does not say what size on the box that the switch came in then just take a thin piece of wood or something and just drill different sized holes and figure out which one works the best. Ghetto but it works lol. So now that your switch is installed it is now time for the dreaded wiring of the relay, switch, and fogs. DUN DUN DUN DUN. The switch is going to be hooked up to a power source that only supplys power when the car is on. This can be done by getting an Add a fuse things from autozone. Hook it into your radio fuse or any other slot that only has power when the car is on. Run that wire to one prong on the toggle swich. The other prong will be connected to the relay. This will be done after we mount the relay in the next step so dont worry about it just yet.

3. Take your relay. And read this diagram. http://www.ado13.com/techs/relay.htm This diagram explains the simplicity of a relay. The only thing a relay does is simply hook up to your switch, you batter, and your fogs, and a ground. Basically instead of running a big wire through the switch where it can get burned up. When you throw the switch it triggers the relay and the relay then pulls power directly from the batter and sends it to the fogs. Very nice thing. You are going to have to mount this relay somewhere on/in your car. I personally have it mounted in the fender well but I plan on moving it to the inside of the car to help prevent corrosion and any weather related issues. So just mount the relay in your car. It is pretty small and im sure you could find a spot. WIRE THAT PUPPY UP. We will start off with what prongs go to what.

Relay
86. This is the wire that you hook up to your switch in the cabin of your vehicle that you installed in step 2. I use the quick connects that slide over the tabs on the relay. They work great because i can easily take them off if i need to. So run a wire from prong 65 on the relay to the prong on the toggle switch that was left empty.
85. This is the wire that is just grounding the relay. Simply run this to a bare metel spot on the car. CHA
30. This is going to be the wire hooked up directly to your battery. I used the 12 gauge wire for this as it will be plenty big enough to supply all the power the fogs will need without burning up or overloading. So run this straight ot the battery. And if your relay is mounted inside(which it should be) then there are a couple holes in teh fire wall already under the driver side dash. They have little rubber grommets in them so just remove them and run your wire through. USE THE FUSE HOLDER mentioned in the parts list. Have the fuse about 12in from your battery in line the wire. This is there so incase something goes wrong and you ground out the power wire or something has a short in it the fuse will pop instead of burning your car down. DO THIS.
87. This is the wire that will be going to your fog lights power wire. Ussually a red or yellow wire for the fogs. I would use the 12 gauge wire again..Once again better safe than sorry.

With the relay and switch wired up the last thing you need to do is ground the fog lights. Each of the fogs will have a ground wire(typically black) and just mount that wire to any bare metal spot(frame, ect)

Now just hook your battery cables back up and start your car up. Flip your switch and watch as your blind your friends standing in front of the car. If they do NOT turn on then you have an issue with your wiring, fogs are no good, or the relay or switch is bad. Trouble shoot from here.

I WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBLITY for anything you do to your car. This is just a write up and it has worked great for me in the 4 cars that I have done this process in.

If anyone has any questions on this please ask and I will be glad to help

I will post up some pictures later this weekend. Probably sunday. Of the relay, fogs, switch, ect.

Thanks for reading

Dan
AKA kornholio788

60trim · Post by **60trim** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:00 pm

Nice write up. Include pics and it would be golden.

soul_sword34 · Post by **soul_sword34** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:01 pm

Bump for pics or drawing

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:54 pm

Thanks for the write up man...now i need to get the fogs

kornholio788 · Post by **kornholio788** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:16 am

WOOPPPSSS forgot about this. Ill have pics for it soon. Sorry guys.

jT · Post by jT » Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:42 am

nice thanks for the link

one question.. two actually

1) what size fuse would you want to use for this? would you want to match the 40 amp relay to a 40 amp fuse? (im not actually sure if you refer to fuses in amperage, i dont recall.. its been a while)

2) if you dont want to use a toggle switch, can you splice it into a headlight wire? is this the part that you said you were not sure on? can anyone else chime in?

in the pic of the relay you linked to, it would seem that the "power from ignition switch" going to the switch and then to terminal 86 if you replaced the "switch" (the toggle switch) with just a splice from the headlight wire it should act the same way as a toggle switch

boxcarfan · Post by **boxcarfan** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:10 pm

i wired up driver lights for my car....15 or 10 amp fuse...and i wired it into my high beams so when i flick my hi beams it goes to the coil on the relay and closes the switch for my driver lights.

jT · Post by jT » Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:49 pm

FYI for anyone in the future that reads this

if you need the fog light socket because your car didnt come with any or you dont have some already you can buy them at autolumination.com

right now the 800 series socket is 3.49 each, and shipping for two of them is 3.50, they come with 16 gauge leads.. i will see if they can be increased

auto zone and advance auto parts do not sell these sockets. carquest wanted around $20 each for them. those are the only places i looked.

jT · Post by jT » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:31 am

is there a specific reason that the relay used is 40amp? only asking because i could only find 30 amp at autozone/advanced auto parts... and i dont want to pay $4 shipping for a 40amp relay from oznium if 30amp would work

Post by **occasional demons** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:09 am

30 amp relay will work fine. A 40 may last longer, but won't matter if the relays get alot of moisture. They will rust on the inside. 10-20 amp fuses should work. you want your fuse to blow before the relay/wiring melts. A normal set of fogs shouldn't draw more than 10 amps anyway. If you have a multi-meter w/amp function you can power the lights through the meter to see what they draw and size the fuse about 5 amps higher than the draw. That should give enough durability to the fuse and protect the circuit. You can use your park/ headlight wire to control the relay. depending on what you want them to do. If youwant them to come on with the parking lights then splice the relay coil to the side marker hot and ground. the same applies for the low beams etc. If you want them to turn off when the high beams are on, then wire the relay coil to your choice of park/low beams and ground to the high beam hot. As long as the high beam filament is good the relay coil will ground through it. the high beam will not light, if you were wondering. When the highs are on the ground is interrupted and the relay shuts off. This is because there is equal voltage on both sides of the coil so there is no current flow. I got this idea from the side markers alternating with the turn signals on some cars.

jT · Post by jT » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:06 am

the sockets from autolumination can be taken apart but i royally F'd up the terminal trying to open it up to take the 14 gauge lead out to put a larger size in.

now i have to either buy a new socket or just get terminals.. the best match i could find are delphi packard metri pack 280 female terminals..

i should have left well enough alone and just used the 14 gauge :[

----------------
Edit

Got new terminal things from a guy on ebay, threw in 12 gauge wire and finished my install today... weeee..

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:25 am

I used the walkthrough...but something is wrong with my fog light set up

I would like to wire them up into the side markers....is that possible? How would that be done?

jT · Post by jT » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:33 am

the +12v from the side marker would go to the power pin of the relay (86).. should work fine

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:37 am

I have aftermarker fog lights....

It has two wires

One for ground, another for power.

jT · Post by jT » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:01 am

did you buy them retail at a store or second hand? asking cuz a kit from the store would have everything needed for a normal install

do you have / did you use the relay while installing?

what have you actually done to hook them up?

what you need to do in summary:
ground wire to relay terminal
ground each fog light

splice into the side marker power wire and connect it to the 86 terminal on the relay

connect to the battery and run it to the relay terminal (just like hooking up an audio amp)

connect relay terminal to the power wires on both fog lights

turn side markers on - viola, fog lights

you should do it that way instead of trying to actually connect the fog light power wire to the sidemarker power wire

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:18 am

Yeah I bought a kit that included everything needed and an auxilary switch to turn it on and off. One power wire that led to the battery as well.

But I don't want a switch because the wiring is a PITA and I have enough engine bay wiring problems as it is.

The fogs are grounded...I need to know how to splice into the side marker. I have no idea what the hell an 86 terminal on the relay is haha.

jT · Post by jT » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:40 pm

http://www.ado13.com/techs/relay.htm

the terminals on the relay all have a number--they are marked on the relay

connect the side marker power wire to the 86 on the relay ---- this is where youd normally have the switch... just use a quick splice or a t tap

note that if you have done the blinker mod then your fog light will probably blink with the blinker too, heh

NitroNeon · Post by **NitroNeon** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:07 pm

What aux driving/fogs are you guys running?

Tried two 55w junkers from wally and they barely do anything. Thinking of doing a light bar with 5" 130w pro-comps...